Harris County, Texas
Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 3,400,578 (though a 2009 estimate placed the population at 4,070,989 ), making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston , the largest city in Texas. It was founded in 1836. Harris County is named for John Richardson Harris, an early settler of the area. History The county was founded on December 22, 1836 as Harrisburg County . The name was changed to Harris County in December 1839.http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hch7.html Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.75%) is water. Its land area is larger than the state of Rhode Island. John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press said "At one time, Houston and Harris County were two distinct entities in reality as well as law. Yes, today there are unincorporated swaths of Harris County, and numerous municipalities not named Houston, but the fact remains that they have been swallowed by the behemoth."Lomax, John Nova. "The Seoul of Houston: The Weather Was Not the Strong Point on Long Point." Houston Press. Wednesday January 30, 2008. Retrieved on September 5, 2009. Major highways See List of Highways in Harris County for more roadways in Harris County. Adjacent counties *Montgomery County (north) *Liberty County (northeast) *Chambers County (east) *Galveston County (southeast) *Brazoria County (south) *Fort Bend County (southwest) *Waller County (northwest) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,400,578 people, 1,205,516 households, and 834,217 families residing in the county, making it the largest county by population in Texas. The population density was 1,967 people per square mile (759/km²). There were 1,298,130 housing units at an average density of 751 per square mile (290/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.73% White, 18.49% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 5.14% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.18% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. 32.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 7.2% were of German, 6.2% American and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 63.8% spoke English, 28.8% Spanish and 1.6% Vietnamese as their first language. In 2006 Harris County had 3,886,207 residents. This represented 14.3% growth since 2000. In 2005, Hispanic residents made up 37.5% of Harris County's population, an increase of over 120,000 since 2000. 5.5% of the population was Asian. South Asians, especially Indian Americans, make up one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in Harris County, with 35,971 counted in the 2000 Census;I n d i a P o s t . c o m - Illegal immigrants from India on the rise African Americans constituted 18.4% of the county's population, representing a slight decline in percentage. However, the total number of African Americans in the county had increased.Harris County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau In 2000 there were 1,205,516 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.38. In the county, the population was spread out with 29.00% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,598, and the median income for a family was $49,004. Males had a median income of $37,361 versus $28,941 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,435. About 12.10% of families and 14.97% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over. According to Children At Risk, a local non-profit research organization, 20.8% of the Harris County children live in poverty, 6.5 per 1,000 die before age 1, and 38% drop out of high school.Houston Chronicle. 2007, February 22. "Raise the alarm; Two surveys point to the abysmal and deteriorating state of American children's well-being." p. B10. Harris County along with other Texas counties has one of the nation's highest property tax rates. In 2007, the county was ranked in the top 25 at 22nd in the nation for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner-occupied housing. The list only includes counties with a population over 65,000 for accuracy.Property Taxes on Owner-Occupied Housing by County, 2005-2008, Ranked by Taxes as Percentage of Home Value Economy United States offices, formerly headquarters of Compaq]] In 2000 the largest employers in Harris County were Administaff, Compaq, Continental Airlines, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, and Southwestern Bell."Largest Employers in Harris County." Houston Business Journal. Friday June 16, 2000. Retrieved on February 16, 2010. In 2009 20% of the office space in northwest Harris County was vacant. As of that year, more office space is being built; in 2010 northwest Harris will have twice the amount of office space that it had in 2009. The vacancy rate in the area near Farm to Market Road 1960 and Texas State Highway 249 in north Harris County was 53% in 2009.McGuire, Lee. "More Houston office space sitting empty." Texas Cable News. Friday January 23, 2009. Retrieved on November 13, 2009. Various companies are headquartered in incorporated and unincorporated areas throughout Harris County. Academy Sports and Outdoors, a sporting goods retailer, has its corporate offices and product distribution center in unincorporated western Harris County."Contact Academy Sports & Outdoors." Academy Sports and Outdoors. Accessed September 5, 2008. Hewlett-Packard operates its United States region office in a complex northwest unincorporated Harris County; the complex formerly belonged to Compaq prior to Compaq's merger with HP."HP Office Locations." Hewlett-Packard. Accessed September 6, 2008."Compaq Offices Worldwide." (December 25, 1996) Compaq. Accessed September 6, 2008. Internet America, an internet service provider, is headquartered in northwest unincorporated Harris County."Internet America, Inc. Agreements and Policies." Internet America. Retrieved on September 25, 2009. Smith International has its headquarters in the Greenspoint district and in an unincorporated area in Harris County."Welcome to SMITH." Smith International. Retrieved on December 8, 2009."Boundary Map." Greenspoint Management District. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. BJ Services Company has its headquarters in the Spring Branch district and in unincorporated Harris County."Global Locations." BJ Services Company. July 3, 2007. Retrieved on December 8, 2009."Boundary Map." Spring Branch Management District. Retrieved on December 8, 2009. FMC Technologies has its headquarters in an unincorporated area."Contact Us." FMC Technologies. Retrieved on December 11, 2009. General Electric operates an aeroderivative division facility on Jacintoport in unincorporated Harris County."GE Energy to provide LM2500+ Gas turbine for south african power plant." General Electric. February 23, 2006. Retrieved on April 24, 2009."Medical Centers U.S." General Electric. Retrieved on April 24, 2009. Randall's Food Markets, a subsidiary of Safeway Inc., has its distribution center in unincorporated Harris County."Distribution Centers." Safeway Inc. 2. Retrieved on May 13, 2010. In 2008 KBR announced that it will open a new office facility in an unincorporated area in western Harris County."KBR Announces Plan for West Houston Campus Location." KBR. May 2, 2008. In December KBR said that it would not continue with the plans due to a weakened economy.Sarnoff, Nancy. "Economic crunch undercuts real estate projects." Houston Chronicle. January 3, 2009. Retrieved on January 21, 2009. In January 2009 KBR announced that it will not open the new office facility."KBR scuttles West Houston expansion." Houston Business Journal. Wednesday January 27, 2010. Modified Thursday January 28, 2010. Retrieved on January 28, 2010. As Houston mostly resides in Harris County, much of the county's economy is related to Houston. See Economy of Houston. Diplomatic missions in an unincorporated area of Harris County]] Various consulates are located in the county; one, the Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston, which opened in June 2004, is at 11850 Jones Road in an unincorporated section of the county.Home page." Consulate-General of Pakistan in Houston. Accessed October 26, 2008. The other consulates are in areas of Houston. Government and politics Harris County has tended to vote Republican at the presidential level since the mid-20th century; Barack Obama was the first Democrat to win the county since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Its electorate resides in the city of Houston, a diverse urban area that is heavily Democratic, and the sprawling suburbs that surround the city limits. Suburban areas such as Cypress, Spring, and Katy in the county's western and northern areas tend to be strongly Republican. United States Congress List above took effect January 4, 2007. Texas Legislature Texas Senate Texas House of Representatives Harris County Elected Officials County government The Harris County Flood Control District manages the effects of flooding in the county. The Harris County Sheriff's Office operates jail facilities. The Harris County jail facilities are in northern Downtown on the north side of the Buffalo Bayou. The 1200 Jail,The 1200 Jail." Harris County, Texas. Accessed September 12, 2008. the 1307 Jail, (originally a TDCJ facility, leased by the county),"The 1307 Jail." Harris County, Texas. Accessed September 12, 2008. and the 701 Jail (formed from existing warehouse storage space) are on the same site."The 701 Jail." Harris County, Texas. Accessed September 12, 2008. Community Services Department provides community services. The department maintains the Oates Road Cemetery (also known as the Harris County Cemetery), a cemetery for indigents in eastern Houston, near the former Southern Bible College. In March 2010 the county adopted a cremation first policy, meaning that the default preference for most indigents is to have them cremated instead of buried. As of 2010 the county authorized the community services department to purchase about of land in the Huffman area so the county will have additional spaces for indigent burials.Taylor, David. "County to purchase land for cemetery." Lake Houston Sentinel. September 2, 2010. Retrieved on September 7, 2010. The Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) is a governmental non-profit corporation which addresses the need for quality affordable housing. The HCHA has been recognized by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as the highest performing housing authority in the region and was recently named one of America’s 10 best Public Housing Authorities. Guy R. Rankin, IV is Chief Executive Officer of Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA). State government The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates some correctional facilities in Harris County, including: * Kegans Unit, located in Downtown Houston, is a state jail for men. It is in the north of Downtown along the north side of the Buffalo Bayou, next to the county facilities."Kegans (HM)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008. * Pam Lychner Unit, named after Pam Lychner and located in unincorporated northeast Harris County, east of the city of Humble, is a state jail for men."Saluting Employees January/February 2003." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008."Lychner (AJ)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008. As of 2001 Kegans and Lychner serves male state jail offenders from Harris County, with Kegans getting lower risk offenders and Lychner getting higher risk and special needs offenders. If both of the male state jails in Harris County are full, excess offenders go to the Gist Unit in Jefferson County. Female state jail offenders from Harris County go to the Plane Unit in Liberty County."State Jail Evaluation Summary Report Kegans State Jail." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. October 2000. Retrieved on July 2, 2010. The South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility Unit, a parole confinement facility for males operated by Global Expertise in Outsourcing, is in Downtown Houston, west of Minute Maid Park."SOUTH TEXAS (XM)." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Accessed September 12, 2008. Transportation agency."Vendor Registration." Harris County Transit. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.]] Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) serves several areas within Harris County. An agency of the Harris County government, Harris County Transit, serves communities in Harris County that are not served by METRO."Welcome To The Harris County Transit Services Division." Harris County Transit. Retrieved on January 15, 2010. Mass transit Many areas in Harris County are served by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO), a public transportation agency headquartered in Downtown Houston. Intercity buses Greyhound Bus Lines operates various stations throughout Harris County. Airports Two commercial airports, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, are located in Houston and in Harris County. The Houston Airport System defines Harris County as a part of Bush Intercontinental's service region."Master Plan Executive Summary." George Bush Intercontinental Airport Master Plan. Houston Airport System. December 2006. 2-1 (23/130). Retrieved on December 14, 2010. The city of Houston operates Ellington Field, a general aviation and military airport in Harris County. General aviation airports for fixed-wing aircraft outside of Houston include: *Publicly-owned **La Porte Municipal Airport in La Porte **Baytown Airport in unincorporated east Harris County, north of Baytown *Privately owned, public use **West Houston Airport is a general aviation airport located in unincorporated western Harris County, west of the Houston city limits. **Dan Jones International Airport in unincorporated northwestern Harris County **Weiser Air Park in unincorporated northern Harris County **David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, a general aviation airport, is located outside of the Tomball city limits in unincorporated northwest Harris County. **Sack-O-Grande Acroport (also known as Harbican Airport) is located in western unincorporated Harris County. *Privately owned, private use **Hoffpauir Airport is located in western unincorporated Harris County. Communities Cities Unincorporated areas Census-designated places Other areas Education Primary and secondary schools The Harris County Department of Education, a county division overseeing education by local school districts, is headquartered in the Ronald W. Reagan Building in the Northside district in Houston. It has an Adult Education Center in the Northside and an office in the North Post Oak Building in Spring Branch."Boundary Map." Spring Branch Management District. Retrieved on April 3, 2009."Contact Us." Harris County Department of Education. Retrieved on May 30, 2009."Greater Northside Management District." Greater Northside Management District. Retrieved on May 30, 2009. Several school districts serve Harris County communities. In addition state-operated charter schools are in the county. Charter schools in unincorporated areas include: * Jamie's House Charter School (6-12) * Richard Milburn Academy (high school)http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/tx/10279 * YES Prep North Central Colleges and universities ]] Public universities *University of Houston *University of Houston–Clear Lake *University of Houston–Downtown *Texas Southern University Community colleges *Houston Community College System *Lone Star College System *San Jacinto College *Lee College Private universities *Rice University *Houston Baptist University *University of St. Thomas Public libraries Administrative Offices in Houston]] Harris County operates its own public library system, the Harris County Public Library. In addition, Houston has the Houston Public Library, a city-controlled public library system. The cities of Baytown, Bellaire, Deer Park, and Pasadena have their own city-controlled libraries. Emergency services Outside of the city limits fire and ambulance services are provided by Emergency Services Districts (ESD).What is an Emergency Services District?. Police services ]] Incorporated areas operate their own police departments. Harris County operates the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which serves unincorporated areas and supplements police forces of incorporated areas. Harris County also has a constable for each of its eight precincts and hundreds of deputies assigned to each. They mainly serve in a patrol function, established to maintain peace in the county as well as providing security to county buildings such as court houses and district attorney's offices. Fire services The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office operates an Investigative Branch, an Emergency Response Branch (Hazardous Materials Response) and Prevention Branch (Inspections). The office is headquartered at 2318 Atascocita Road in an unincorporated area."About the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office." Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. Retrieved on May 22, 2009. Incorporated cities operate their own fire departments. Fire departments serving unincorporated areas:"Fire Departments." Harris County Fire Marshall. Retrieved on May 22, 2009. * Aldine Fire & Rescue 3 Stations * Atascocita VFD 3 Stations * Champions ESD #29 1 Station * Channelview VFD 3 Stations * Cloverleaf VFD 2 Stations * Community VFD (covers unincorporated southwest Harris County and unincorporated northeast Fort Bend County) 3 Stations * Crosby VFD 5 Stations * Cy-Fair VFD 12 Stations * Cypress Creek EMS 9 Stations * Cypress Creek VFD 4 Stations * Eastex VFD 2 Stations * Forest Bend VFD (Southeast unincorporated Harris County) 2 Stations * Highlands VFD 2 Stations * Huffman VFD 1 Station * Katy VFD 1 Station * Klein VFD 7 Stations * Little York VFD 3 Stations * Northwest VFD 3 Stations * Ponderosa VFD (Harris County ESD #28) 3 Stations * Rosehill VFD 3 Stations * Sheldon Community Fire/Rescue 2 Stations * Spring VFD 7 Stations * Tomball VFD 2 Stations * Tri-County VFD 2 Stations * West I-10 VFD 5 Stations * Westfield Rd. VFD 2 Stations * Westlake VFD 1 Station Emergency Medical services EMS services inside the City of Houston are provided by the Houston Fire Department. Harris County ESD 1 is in northern Harris Country, south of Beltway 8. Harris County ESD 1 provides both “911” ambulances to its district as well as providing ‘Critical Care Transports’ from the neighboring hospitals. Harris County ESD 1 has a Director of EMS, Jeremy Hyde that oversees the daily operations of the service and reports directly to the Harris Country Board of Commissioners. Atascocita EMS is part of Atascocita VFD (ESD 46) and provides services in the Northeast part of Harris county. Cypress Creek EMS (ESD 11) provides EMS services to the area roughly to Beltway 8 on the south, to 1 mile east of Hwy 290 on the west, to Hwy 59 (Humble City limits) on the east; to Montgomery County line on the north. Harris County ESD 5 (ESD 5) covers the area of Crosby and Barrett Station.Response area extends from the Harris County/Liberty County Line east to the San Jacinto River. And from north of Indian Shores road on FM2100 south to Red Oak St. in Barrett Station Northwest EMS (ESD 8) provides services in the Tomball area of Harris Country. Coverage Map Political organization ]] The head of a Texas County, as set up in the Texas Constitution, is the County Judge, who sits as the chair of the county's Commissioners' Court. Since 2007, this position in Harris County is held by Judge Ed Emmett. The county is split into 4 geographical divisions called Precincts. Each precinct elects a Commissioner to sit as a representative of their precinct on the commissioners court and also for the oversight of county functions in their area. Other elected positions in Harris County include a County Attorney, a County Clerk, a District Attorney, a District Clerk, a Sheriff, 8 Constables, a Tax Assessor-Collector, a County Treasurer, and every judge in the county except municipal judges, who are appointed by the officials of their respective cities. Many of the organs of the Harris County government reside in the Harris County Campus in Downtown Houston. Hospital services Within Harris County, hospital services for the indigent and needy are provided by the Harris County Hospital District, a separate governmental entity. Harris County Hospital District operates three hospitals: LBJ General Hospital, Quentin Mease Community Hospital, and Ben Taub General Hospital, as well as many clinics. Additionally, numerous private and public hospitals operate in Harris County, including institutions in Texas Medical Center and throughout the county. Trivia * J. Howard Marshall, former husband of the late Anna Nicole Smith and a weatly oil magnate died here in 1995 * Harris County receives more tornado warnings than any other county.Thousands could die if a giant tornado ever hits Houston, Eric Berger, Houston Chronicle, Feb. 20, 2007. * Harris County has sent more people to the death chamber than any other county.Death Penalty Uneven, Dallas News, Jul. 28, 2007. Gallery Harris County Campus Image:HarrisCountyCivilCourthouseTexas.JPG|Harris County Civil Courthouse Image:HarrisCountyCriminalJusticeCenterTexas.JPG|Harris County Criminal Justice Center Image:HarrisCountyTXDistrictAttorneyBuilding.JPG|Harris County District Attorney's Building Image:HarrisCountyJuryAssemblyTexas.JPG|Harris County Jury Assembly and Public Parking Image:HarrisCountyJuvenileJusticeCenter.JPG|Harris County Juvenile Justice Center Image:HarrisCountyTexasAnnex.JPG|Harris County Annex Image:HarrisCountyTexas1910Courthouse.JPG|1910 Harris County Courthouse See also * [[USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)|USNS Harris County (T-LST-822)]] References External links *Harris County government's website *[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/hch7.html The Handbook of Texas Online: Harris County] *Account of the early days of Harris County, 1824 - 1838 from Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas by John Henry Brown, hosted by The Portal to Texas History * Harris County local event listings *CPS in Harris County *Harris County Fire Marshal's Office *Harris County Housing Authority Website *Accepted design illustration of Court House from the University of Houston Digital Library (1920-1924) Category:Counties of Texas Category:Established in 1836 Category:Greater Houston